After the last 2 Thursday night races had been cancelled due to too much wind the forecast was again not looking good for Thursday’s race either. The forecast was for 25 knots and on the day the RO, Roger Wilson cancelled racing for LH Class 4 and the XODs.

All classes racing had a windward-leeward course with IRC Class 1 beating over to Black Rock and the smaller boats going to a moveable buoy just short of the deeper water. In Class 1 IRC the majority of the fleet started at the pin end due to the lack of water, but Edith being slightly smaller, was able to start at the platform end and cross the fleet. On the first run to Moore Blatch there was plenty of rocking and rolling but on the second run, after a 20 degree wind shift nobody was able to hoist kites.

Steve Powell's E'Tu got the best of the start in the RS Elite class and motored out to the left of the beat. The Wadhams' in Kiss tacked right taking Pipefish's stern and when they all came back together at the top mark it was Kiss that crossed ahead to lead downwind. With kites set in the breeze gusting towards about 28 knots it was a fast leg and Kiss extended, but behind them E'Tu and Pipefish battled for second and swapped places several times with E'Tu getting the better of it in the end. Talk in the bar afterwards was of full marks to the committee for running the race in such strong winds and even bigger forecast!